


Finding Something

by Animefreak1400



Category: Underfell - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2018-09-16 01:51:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9268394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animefreak1400/pseuds/Animefreak1400
Summary: You have been taking care of your little cousin after the death of your aunt and uncle. One day they disappear and you kick it into high gear trying to find them. Unfortunately your family is the distant kind, so it doesn't take long for you to be on your own in the search. One day while taking a walk in the woods behind your house to clear your head, you find a barely noticeable path. But when you explore it you come across a very tall and mean looking skeleton. Life is going to take a turn for the interesting after this.EDIT: Name of fic changed to "Finding Something"





	1. Finding Something Forgotten

**Author's Note:**

> This is another story that has popped in my head recently. I have way too many of those. A lot in the story is undecided, so you will probably see the tags, ratings, and other things change in the story as I work on this more. Open to criticism or if you notice and grammar errors. The teen rating is mostly for things like cussing as of now. Nothing too bad.

You mentally kicked yourself. Again. You returned home by yourself. Again. As a habit by now, you went straight from your front door to the answering machine that still practically had that new machine smell despite the obvious over usage. There was nothing. Again. Sighing, you go to your room as your next stop and remove your uniform. Once you had other clothes on and your uniform was in the hamper you moved to the next step in your recently formed routine. You checked the backyard, going through the living room and to the kitchen where the door to it was. You tried not to look at their face on the missing posters that littered the coffee table. Just another batch waiting to be put up- replaced once again. 

 

In the backyard there was nothing. Again. There weren't any tears anymore however. Not at this point in the day. That would come later tonight, when you laid down in bed like every night. You simply didn’t have the energy to spare to cry throughout the day. Not to mention you couldn’t be breaking down every five minutes at work. The bills still had to be paid. Despite everything. 

 

Moving on from the back door, you went to the livingroom to finally gather some of the materials you always dreaded the need for. You packed the fliers along with things to hang them up with into a bag and went out to town to replace the ones getting old, making sure you had your car charger in case anyone called with information. 

 

All of these after work actions were practically muscle memory now. Done day after day. They would probably continue until either you lost all hope or Frisk was found. 

 

Sighing, you made it out to your car through the sludge the last snow left behind. 

 

*******************

 

The day they disappeared you let them go outside by themselves. This happened regularly. They were ten after all, and you lived out in the country away from most things they could get in trouble with . They knew to stay near the house and always did. 

 

Until the day they disappeared. 

 

Dressed and ready for work, you went on the back porch and called for them to come inside and get ready to leave for your mother's house. She was the one who always watched your little cousin when you worked. It helped by saving a ton on babysitting fees. Even if you suspected she only did so out of guilt. 

 

After all, it should have been natural for **_her_** to take in her little sister's child. 

 

****************

 

You were now halfway done with this rounds missing child posters. There were some shops who had come to expect your semi annual poster stops. Some had said flat out that you couldn’t put them up anymore. Though you could understand, after all it had been months now. But it still left you with a bitter taste in your mouth. You tried to buy from the stores that kept accepting your fliers whenever possible as a thank you. 

 

It was that slushy time of year where the snow season had passed but it wasn’t quite warm enough to be spring yet. While some spots had already melted and dried from the snow, others had not. Like the spot you had stepped in a couple blocks back to place a poster on a telephone pole. 

 

The bell rang in the little coffee shop you entered only to have a young lady look up and smile at you from the counter. 

 

“Hello, how have you been?” Her eyes dropped to the bag you always carried and the poster in your hand. Her smile falters. “No luck I take it?” It's a sad smile now. 

 

“Not yet. But I’m hoping soon.” After all, there hadn’t been a body of a child found anywhere. 

 

“Well let me have the new poster. The old one is in bad shape.” She threw the towel she had in her hand over her shoulder and reached out to grab the poster you had for her. 

 

“Thanks again. I know that it's a bit… much to ask after it's been so long.” You gripped your bag in your hand a little tighter nervously. 

 

“It’s no problem at all. My father always liked helping folks.” She pulled down the old poster and replaced it with the new one as she spoke. “I like to keep that kinda tradition.” Fixing the poster neatly- it was ready to be seen by all. “Besides, never know when an answer might pop up- don’t lose hope.” Walking over to the machine she began working on your regular you got every time you came in. 

 

“Still, I really appreciate it, ma’am.” You pulled out your wallet to pay her for your drink but she just stopped you by holding up her hand. 

 

“No need to thank me.” She placed the drink on the counter in front of you. “This one's on the house. A little pick me up. And I told you to just call me Jamie. I’m only three years older than you.” You chuckled. 

 

“Yeah, you just seem a whole lot older I guess.” Taking the drink you give it a little blow before taking a sip. 

 

“Eh, that's only ‘cuz I had a father who handed a decent business over to me.” She shrugged. “Got lucky.” 

 

“Well either way, thank you.” You gave her a soft smile, taking the coffee in your hands. “Let me know if you ever need anything.” With that you continued on your way. 

 

**********************

 

It was three months in before the rest of your family drifted from the search. In a way you understood, but most of you was bitter that they were giving up. Sure, your family wasn’t all that close most of the time. It still seemed very cold to you nonetheless. 

 

Your mother did her best to comfort you, saying that it wasn’t your fault. That children always ran off, sometimes they just… didn’t come back. But that just seemed a cold way to put it and it didn’t even help. 

 

You had failed.

 

********************

 

It was about two weeks after the rest of the family quit looking. The weather was unusually cold. Winter always did like to give a few strokes in the warming weather before it faded. 

 

On the last day of your work week you came home and got dressed warmly. You had just yesterday replaced all the posters again, so today you had nothing to do but wait at home and hope. Hope that the phone would ring. Hope that by some miracle they had survived the winter somewhere. 

 

This did not bode well for you. 

 

By the time noon rolled around on your first day off, the house had been cleaned from top to bottom and you were then out of things to do. None of your hobbies were interesting. Your mind just wandered back to Frisk and you ended up staring blankly at your phone no matter what you were actually trying to do. 

 

You had also started pacing at some point. You just felt so full of nervous energy and there was nothing left for you to focus it on. So you decided to go ahead and go for a walk, since your body couldn’t stand still. 

 

There was paths behind the house. Just simple dirt paths that had worn down due to years of use, probably for generations back. It was one of the first places you had checked after the disappearance and where you decided to walk now. There had always been a certain peace on the little trails in the past. They were relaxing somehow. You started calming down even now, despite the cold that tried to invade your jacket. It wasn’t until you couldn’t see the house anymore that something seemed off to you. You take a look around. The path it still there, so you were safe in that aspect. Then it hit you. 

 

It was quiet. 

 

_ Really  _ quiet.

 

Sure, it was still cold. But it was almost spring, most animals should be running around by now. You remember reading somewhere that animals could sense when something was coming in the air and would burrow themselves away to hide from it. Could there be a storm coming? The odd lack of birds chirping gave you the chills. You turn to head back when you notice something else. Just behind you, there is a path leading off the main one. It is small and very overgrown. Has that always been there? You don’t usually walk this far out. It’s hard to make out anyways, it has to have been years since it’s been used. 

 

Frisk was always good at finding little hidden details of things. You wonder if maybe…

 

Without a second thought you turn down the overgrown path and follow it. 

 

“Frisk!” You yell, hoping by some miracle they will pop out behind a tree. Or maybe even choose to yell. It was an extreme situation so just maybe… Something caught on your foot and made you stumble a little. But you soon caught your footing again and kept going. Your pants were going to be ruined after this but that didn’t matter. 

 

You kept calling Frisk's name as the path led you further up the mountain. The path made little twists and turns as it avoided trees. A couple of times you lost your way off of the path, making following the path take even longer. 

 

It isn’t long before you come to clearing. It’s fairly large and filled with flowers of all kinds.  Or what was left of them in the cold weather. Most were wilted away now, waiting to come back in the spring. For a moment you lose yourself and just look at the clearing. It was the tail end of winter, so the grass wasn’t very green yet. Though very muddy front the snow. 

 

Your eyes burn and you can feel the tears threatening you. Of course they weren’t here. What were you thinking? They wouldn’t survive the winter out in the woods. Maybe they never even came this way. Maybe they just flat out ran away like your mom thought. You didn’t do good enough. You weren’t good enough. Of course they- 

 

A snapping of a twig and you jerk around by your heal. 

 

“Fri-!” The name caught in your throat. That was definitely not Frisk. You weren't sure  _ what  _ it was though. It stood probably almost seven feet tall, glaring down at you. It’s a giant skeleton. Though it’s not a human one walking around if its shape said anything. You weren’t sure that was comforting. The bones were too thick, the skull too solid and oval shaped. The teeth looked sharp as well. I continued to glare at you, as if it was studying you. Maybe even waiting to see what you would do next. Your mind panicked, trying to think of something to do at the sight of what looked like walking death. 


	2. Finding Something Regal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader is clumsy. Reader meets the king of monsters.
> 
> ***********************************

What you did was start to back away. Slowly. Your mind reverted back to what you knew about wild animals(probably since that was the closest thing you had to go on) and with them you never made any quick movements. Maybe it would let you just nope your way out of this slowly and you could go home and pretend it was a dream. You had only taken a couple step when it spoke.

 

“I would not advise for you to keep backing up. From what I understand, humans do not take well to falling.” His(from what it sounded like) voice was a loud one. You jump back upon hearing the skeleton speak with a squeak that you wished you hadn’t made. It’s then that the ground beneath your feet gives out and you wished you had listened to the warning. 

 

Luckily, before you could fall into the pit ready to swallow you up, there was something that grabbed you and pulled you back up. That something turned out to be the skeleton that you saw from before. He  had helped you- but he didn’t look happy about it. Once you were on solid ground again, you appreciate it much more. You sat down on it, your legs decided that they no longer wanted to work. Because holy shit you almost fell to your  _ death. _ The only thing that had saved you from that death was a rather angry looking god forsaken  _ skeleton _ . Was he even made of actual bone? His face managed to scrunch up and look so  _ angry. _

 

“Are you stupid or do you just have a death wish?” He barked, making you flinch this time. “I even warned you- I swear if I didn’t already know one human I would think you were all this stupid!” The rant continued on, but once you realized he wasn’t going to strike you, you just sat there in stunned silence. 

 

That’s when it happened. 

 

Maybe it was the lack of a good night's rest. Maybe it was just the stress. It was probably those and the fact that there was an angry skeleton looking monsters in front of you that just saved you from basically falling off a cliff to your death. A chuckle bubbled from your chest. First was one, then was another. And another. Soon you were a giant ball of hysterics. The skeleton stopped and looked at you with a confused expression. How did he do that? There was a walking-talking skeleton in front of you and here you were, wondering how it managed that confused look at you. Something in you just decided that laughing your ass off was the best reaction. 

 

“What is so funny, human?” The skeletons confusion gave way to annoyance and boy did you not want to piss of this creature. But it still took some time and concentration for you to slow your hysterics to a halt. You brought your hands up to your face. You were crying too? 

 

“I- uh.” You chuckled again, trying to cough and stop. “Well I guess nothing is really funny.” Looking away, you stand up and brush the dirt off your pants. Though there wasn’t much and you were mostly trying to do something so you would quit laughing. It worked at least. 

 

“Are you done? Or do you wish to continue to laughing at nothing?” The skeleton looked down at you and crossed his arms. He looked about to honestly wait for you to finish up if you laughed some more. 

 

“Ah, no. I’m done.” 

 

“Well then, I wish you to tell me the name of the human you are looking for. I was unable to make out the name.” The skeleton waited for you talk after giving what sounded like a demand. 

 

“What? Why do you care who I’m looking for?” You question instead of giving an answer. Having the giant hole behind you wasn’t comforting either. You circle around and away from the hole. Never turning your back to the… skeleton.

 

“That is unimportant. If you want any more information you must tell me the name.” What the hell? Why did this thing even care? You find yourself giving the thing a glare. Though given that you were still shaken up, you hoped it came off menacing like you meant it to be. Well, it’s not like you had much of anything to lose at this point anyways.

 

“I’m looking for my little cousin. Frisk.” You told him. It couldn’t hurt, right? After all, just what could this thing do with the information? Not like a walking skeleton could do much with a single name. But he looks you up and down anyways, eyes narrowed. But it felt more like he was looking  _ through  _ you. After a moment he seems to find whatever answer he was wanting.  

 

“Very well, follow me. I shall take you to them.” He states in a cold manner, turning on his heel and heading deeper into the mountain. 

 

“What the hell?” You mutter, watching him walk off. Could he actually know where Frisk was? Was this why a body was never found? Did they end up with this creature, trapped in the woods somewhere by it? You take a deep breath and follow him. If there was a chance this thing wasn’t lying then you were gonna take it. 

 

Frisk, please be okay.

 

*******************************************

 

You're not walking long before you see a large cave up ahead. Well, he was walking. Very fast. You almost had to jog to keep up much to your annoyance. The cave was actually very large and seemed like just the creepy thing something like this walking skeleton would pop out of. 

 

Your gut is telling you to run. This is dangerous. Your hairs stand up on end. You keep the skeleton in sight at all times, keeping out of his arms reach. Who knew if at some point he would decide to reach out and strike you. Despite the warning that little something in you gave, there was another part of you that whispered where the rest screamed.  _ What if he’s telling the truth? What if it’s not too late? _ You weren't about to back out of that chance. In a weird way, thinking of what you might be able to do if the skeleton did decide to strike you helped calm you down. Even if you had no clue if it would work or not. 

 

He didn’t have eyes, so the act of poking him in them was likely a problem. That distraction was out. Plus, he was so tall. Would you even be able to reach them in decent time? If not that would go wrong quick. Would a kick to the shins affect him? He looked to be made of bones, and that would hurt a person. Your bets were better for that, you figure. 

 

Walking up to the cave, it is very dark. The skeleton walks right in. Was he able to see? You tried asking him if he could, but got no answer as he pushed ahead. Well, if he could- you definitely couldn’t. Grumbling, you pull out your cell phone and switch on it’s built in flashlight. Feeling more comfortable in where you were going, you caught up to him. 

 

“Okay mister tall, dark, and silent. Can you at least clue me in on where you’re taking me?” You question in aggravation. He looks down at you out of the corner of your eye. A shiver runs down your spine and you decided maybe being quiet is best after all. 

 

As you continued down the cave, the walls began to change. Where there was only rough and unrefined cave wall, there was now smooth sides that were straighter and only softly rounded out in the corners. Seeing those things made you more comfortable. Civilized. He was civilized, along with anything else that might be down here. That meant able to reason with right? That meant motives, and ways to reason with those motives. Not just bringing you down here to eat you or something. Right? 

 

The light was soft at first and you still needed your flashlight. But then it grew brighter and you didn’t need it anymore. Turning your phones flashlight off, you put it back in your pocket. Having your hands free gave you a little more comfort. Looking around, you saw that the hallway was well decorated, though simply so. At the end of the hallway was a room. There was no door, just a large frame, but when you exited the hallway you found yourself in a large room. In it there was a large throne surrounded by golden flowers against the back wall with a doorway to the left of it. They littered the space. They covered the floor and left only a small path that let you pass through without hurting the flowers. There was a lot on the walls as well, in containers that were attached to the wall. Despite being in what should have been a dark cave, it felt very sunny in the room from all the flowers. The skeleton takes the small path and avoids any flowers that stray into the path. You follow his lead.

 

In front of the throne, the skeleton came to a sudden stop and snapped to attention. 

 

“King Asgore, I have returned from my patrol!” He called loudly to the empty throne. “I have also collected a human who was calling out the name of the child.” He stares straight ahead and waits. A couple of seconds pass before you hear a deep, rumbling voice come from the doorway.

 

“Is that so?” A deep voice muses, voice rumbling. You can almost feel the footsteps and out of that doorway steps out another creature. This one looks much different than the one that stood in front of you. This one was even taller, and was not made of bone. He- this one also looked rather masculine anyways- had fur instead, and looked to be what you could only think to call ‘fleshy’. Where the rest of his body was white, the hair around his head was black. His beard was black as well, long to reach his chest. There are two horns that stick out from his head and as you take him in there is only one thing that comes to mind. A billy goat. While this creature was obviously not just some goat, the resemblance was there. Could there be some relation like humans and monkeys? You don’t get time to continue this train of thought before being jolted out of it. 

 

“Step forward, human.” The skeleton is now looking at you, as well as the apparent king. You steal a sideways glance at the skeleton and do as he says, but you still make sure you can see him out of the corner of your eye. The king's gaze stays fixed on you, giving you the same studying look that the skeleton had. You crane your neck up to meet his gaze. While it didn’t look hostile, the king’s face definitely didn’t look friendly. It was calculating.

 

“Hello.” You greet simply. He waits a moment before speaking again in that deep and rumbly voice. 

 

“Who is the child to you?” 

 

You get a chill down your spine at the feeling that what happened next depended on your answer. 


	3. Finding Something Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader has an uncomfortable time with Asgore. But then finally gets to see Frisk.

“Where are they? Did you take them?” The questions flood your mind and you can’t seem to be bothered with trying to answer his at the moment. But while your mouth was brave, your knees were weak upon seeing his gaze sour. 

 

“I believe I asked a question,  _ child.  _ Now- what is that little one to you?” Okay, so the king doesn’t like his questions being ignored. Keep that information for later. You furrow your brows. 

 

“I am their legal guardian! You have to give them back to me!” You demand in a shaking voice. “If you keep them, t-then that’s kidnapping!” Why did your voice shake so much? You knew you were never intimidating. Even if you tried to be. It just wasn’t your nature. Irritation crosses his face that makes you suddenly feel a little sick. It doesn’t stay long, though. He smooths out his face and looks down at you, calm but dark.

 

“We do not hold them here against their will, I assure you of that. Though you would do well to know that doesn’t mean we could not if that is what we wished.” The air of confidence rolls off the king as he takes a seat in his throne. The air is heavy with his words as they bare down on you. With that threat, he turns his attention away from you and to the skeleton. “Papyrus, go and tell the child that their guardian is here. Escort them back.” 

 

Huh, so the skeleton’s name was Papyrus. That was a weird name. A weird name for a weird creature. Papyrus looks hesitant a moment, looking between you and the king before he walks through the doorway the king had just come through. Probably to do as the king said. 

 

“What is your name?” Asgore asks you. You give him your name.

 

“Why are they here? Did one of you bring them here?” The king sighs at your questions. 

 

“So you are accusing me of taking your family member? After I have told you that we do not keep them here against their will?” There is a certain… negative feeling behind his words you can’t place. “I see that humans have not changed.” 

 

“Yeah, excuse me for being a little skeptical of the nine foot monster I’ve just met.” You huff, crossing your arms. “If you didn’t take them, how did they end up here?”

 

“They fell into our home.” The king taps one of his fingers against the arm of the throne. His gaze runs off to the side and he looks far away for a moment. “They made quite the impact on the citizens here, a positive one. It has helped us tremendously, thus we agreed to help them find their guardian.” You felt that there was more to the vage story that this king is telling but don’t push anymore in that direction. 

 

“Wait- was that skeleton, Papyrus was it? Was he actually looking for me?” You ask, shocked. 

 

“It is only fair. The child has helped me and my people a great deal. Now that we are all free, they have been determined to find you again. Though we certainly could not just let the child run around in the forest freely.” He sits tall and gives you another dark look. “We intend to continue keeping this child safe, even if they choose to go back with you.”

 

Well he certainly didn’t trust you. Which was insulting.  _ You  _ should be the one that didn’t trust  _ him _ . But...

 

“Well if you really did help my cousin and keep them safe… and if that’s really what you’re wanting- then I guess we should get along fine.” If they did help your cousin... then they couldn’t be  _ all  _ bad. Right? People who were bad didn’t keep children safe. They didn’t keep anyone safe. His expression changes into one of mild surprise.

 

“How different…” Before you could ask what he means, Papyrus steps through the doorway again. Snapping your gaze in the skeletons direction, you see directly behind him, clinging close to the skeleton is your little cousin themselves. 

 

“Frisk!” You cry, jumping forward to get to them. In a flash, pointed straight at you is a big white bone, with a rather sharp edge pointed at you. You take a step back and this unspoken threat. But not without giving the skeleton a glare. He only puts it down after Frisk tugs on his arm and signs at him. Though you were still in the process of learning, the understanding was ‘ _ This is her. _ ’ Frisk smiles up at the skeleton and reaches for the bone to pull it down, which Papyrus relents. The bone falls to his side and then disappears into thin air. 

 

So many questions. So little brain cells to bother with them at this point. 

 

But with that  _ sort  _ of clear, Frisk smiles and comes over to hug you. You get on your knees to be more their height and as you hold them tight, tears start to form in your eyes. You had been looking for months. You put of posters, you walked around at all hours with their picture asking people if they had seen them, you even got on the local news station. Despite the fact that you had still been looking… a long awaited feeling of relief crashed down on you. They were found. They were safe. In a weird cave full of weird creatures- but safe. You can’t keep yourself from crying. 

 

“You are in so much trouble when we get home. I told you not to wander off into the woods!” You pull back and hold them at arm's length. The tears slow, but don’t stop. Your words are supposed to have a lecturing feel to them, but you're just so happy that you can’t seem to put any real bite behind the words. Still, they have the right frame of mind to look sheepish when you scold them. “But I’m really glad that you’re safe.” You smile at them to make sure they have the reassurance. “Is this where you’ve been the whole time?” The simply nod rather than sign. “Did they really help you?” It takes a moment this time, but they nod and they smile wide.

 

So what Asgore said was true. Keeping Frisk in your grasp, you peer up at the king who is watching your reunion. There was a ghost of a smile. 

 

“They have spoke a great deal of you in their time with us.” Asgore rumbles. His face has softened at Frisk’s arrival. 

 

“I take it you understand sign language then?” You stand up straight, keeping a protective hand on Frisks shoulders. The tears have stopped and your more calm now.

 

“Not exactly. But as one of the child's family members you are welcome to stay.” Asgore stood from his throne and gestured to the door. “We may have some tea and I’m sure you have many questions. I will be more than happy to answer some of those.” 

 

You hesitated, after a moment about to decline his offer. After all, you were just happy having Frisk back and didn’t want to push your luck further. But before you could speak, Frisk started pulling you forward to the door. 

 

“You want to go, Frisk?” You ask them. They nod and go to sign. Still not being very good at it, you only caught a couple words. It didn’t help that Frisk’s signs were sloppy with excitement. But you managed to make out ‘meet’ and ‘friends’. When you don’t answer right away, Frisk looks at Asgore with a gleam in their eye.

 

“I understand your hesitation, ____.” Asgore spoke up. “It is a very uncertain thing for us as well. But Frisk speaks highly of you, and they have done much to help us in their time here. In the way only the spirit of a determined child can. So it is very much an… olive branch as Frisk has told us, to bring you into our home and trust you will treat it with respect.” For the first time since meeting the king only less than an hour ago, he almost doesn’t look very confident in what he is doing. He is unsure. Just as much as you are. 

 

“Welp, olive branch received then. Guess it would be rude to not to accept the offer of the king who helped me find my cousin.” You reach for Frisks hand, half way expecting them to try and get away from yours. Being the age they were, they don't typically like to hold hands with anyone anymore. But instead Frisk grabs your hand firmly and pulls you forward. 

 

“Very well, follow me then.” The king gives a small smile. He goes through the door and Frisk drags you behind them. Papyrus just glares down at you and moves every so slightly out of the way. You barely make it through when he immediately follows behind. He follows a little too close for comfort. You keep your senses focused on the skeleton behind you as Frisk drags you along.  

 

Well. This day was going to be a long one. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a romance idea at some point in the plot. However I'm unsure what I want to do. Papyrus or Sans? Maybe both? Unsure yet, so I haven't labeled anything. Feel free to suggest ideas~


	4. Finding Some Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Answers are found. But so are more questions. But you can't ask everything and the meaning of life in one night.
> 
> ********************************

 

 

You are lead to another room with a large, round table. There is another creature already sitting at the table. This one looks close to what Asgore looks like. With the goat similarities and white fur(though it is not as bright a white as the kings) covering what you assumed would be their entire body. Her body? She looked like a girl at least. Did you want to try you luck on getting something like that wrong though? Despite the speech of metaphorical olive branches, you were still on edge. Much like the skeleton who was still watching you like a hawk.

 

In the middle of the table is a single yellow flower in a pot. It looked like the other flowers in the throne room. Except very big. The long stem made you think of a sunflower. But then things got weird when it turned in your group's direction. Huh, so the flower had a face. 

 

Maybe you just shouldn’t question things. Roll with the punches of weirdness. 

 

“Frisk!” The flower called, looking relieved to see your little cousin. The other creature there started to stand, eyes on Frisk as well. Before they can fully stand, though, Frisk jumps in the creatures lap and makes them plop back into the chair. They were so fast that you didn’t even have the chance to object. Had they always been that fast? It had been a long time since you had seen Frisk jump into a lap like that. Though it had been a while since they were small enough to do so. The creatures large size, while not as dwarfing as the king, was still very large and had no problem accepting Frisk. 

 

Frisk hugs the creature and the creature returns the favor. If not for the fact that you were on edge and your little cousin was in the grip of some creature who was a total stranger to you- it might look heartwarming. The creature looked at them with warm eyes. But they- she, you decided- did not look at you the same way.. This day was setting a record for the amount of glares you could get in one day. Frisk pulled away from her and started to sign. 

 

“Take a seat,___. We will have tea soon. I shall introduce you to those here.” Asgore gestures to a chair, which you take nervously. You were only a chair away from the creature and Frisk in their lap. You feel glares in your direction, but do your best to ignore it. If the king was trying to be peaceful, then certainly anyone else wouldn’t try to actually  _ harm _ you. Right?

 

Asgore takes a seat as well and turns to Papyrus. “Please go get us some tea, Papyrus.” This time the skeleton also looks uncomfortable. But after some hesitation, he follows orders and leaves the room to fetch the tea.

 

“So, I believe introductions are in order.” Asgore has turned your attention to the table. “Everyone, this is ____, Frisk's guardian.” He gestured to you. “___, the flower monster over there is called Flowey. They are Frisks friend. The other is Toriel, she is the Queen.”

 

“Ex-Queen.” Toriel inserts with authority certainly fitting for the title she is denouncing. She glares in the king's direction. Something told you not many had the ability to get away with that. 

 

“While you may have left me and your title formally behind, you know as well as I you are Queen to the whole underground.” 

 

Yikes. Some past drama there. 

 

“Well… well it's nice to meet you anyways.” You speak up your best. Your voice is shaky and a little uncertain, but you do your best to even it out and manage well. “What would you like me to call you then…?” You look directly at her as you talk.  _ Don’t break eye contact. That would be a sign of weakness. _

 

“Just call me Toriel.” She says. Her face is unreadable. But you nod anyways and turn to Flowey. 

 

“It’s nice to meet you too.” You greet the flower, who gave you a small smile.

 

“Uh yeah, nice to meet you too. Guess they aren’t the only human who likes to take pretty big risks, huh?” 

 

“Pretty sure it runs in the family. Bunch of daredevils.” You laugh uncomfortably.

 

“Well, I assume you have many questions. You may begin to ask them.” He looks at you and waits for a question. God, where do you start? Maybe…

 

“Okay, first question then. What are you king of, exactly? You all look very different, I can only assume there are many more of you. There are others who probably look different too. So are you king of the mountain? Or king of this group of…” You hesitate, unsure of your words. “...people?” You twirl your hand in the air at the last part. You often did talk with your hands. 

 

“I believe the term you’re looking for is monsters.” Asgore answers. “Humans all look similar in form, but monsters do not. That would explain the very drastic difference in forms. I am the king of monsters.” Okay, so they all looked very different. So many more technical questions with that piece of information. But to avoid being the ‘why?” kid and knowing there were more important things to ask, you move on.

 

“Next one then. You said that Frisk fell into your home?” You don’t get to continue your question as Torial interrupts. 

 

“It is more accurate to say they fell into  _ my  _ home.” She glares at the king. You hope that her face doesn’t end up sticking like that. Your mom always told you that it would when you made sour faces at people. Frisk smiles but doesn’t seem bothered by the tension in the air. Were they just oblivious to it?

 

“Okay, they fell into  _ your  _ home.” You continue. “I’m guessing that isn’t the way I came in. So then, are you the one to find them?” You turn to Toriel. 

 

“Actually, I found them first.” The flower is the one that speaks this time. “They fell into the ruins of old home. It’s a ways away from here.” He volunteers more information. 

 

Frisk made friends with the first monster that they came across. Sounds like them. 

 

“Do you think we can get a fence built around that hole or something?” You turn to Asgore. “Frisk probably got pretty lucky when they fell. I don’t want anyone else to fall. They might not be so lucky.” The king looks thrown off for a moment before agreeing.

 

“I am willing to do so.” Before you have a chance to thank him, Papyrus returns with a tray full of tea cups and a single pot of tea. He sets them down and everyone begins to reach for a cup, except for the flower. You follow their lead and grab one as well. There is a single cup left. The king looks up at Papyrus. “Take a cup and join us.” Though it is gentle this time, there is no room for argument. The skeleton does as he is told. Toriel pours a cup for Frisk, who has moved to the empty seat between you and the monster lady, then a cup for herself before passing the teapot your direction. Once everyone has a full cup the king gestures for you to continue. 

 

“Ah, okay. So next question. It’s been months. Who has been taking care of Frisk?” You ask. Why hadn’t that been your first question? The king speaks first. 

 

“Actually, it seems they have a hard time staying still. Therefore they have been staying at many households throughout the underground.” Toriel speaks next.

 

“They fell near my home in the ruins. I cared for them best I could. Eventually, though, they decided they could not stay. They then left the ruins.” Though that does answer questions, the monsters guilty tone of voice makes you wonder if there is more. But before you can ask, Flowey takes his turn. 

 

“I left with Frisk, to try and help them.” He explains. “After that, we stayed at the inn for a while. But we started running out of money- the skeleton brothers let us stay at their house though.” The skeleton brothers? Frisk answers your confusion by pointing at Papyrus, who has taken a break from glaring at you for the first time, and is sipping at his tea.

 

“Well then. I guess I need to say thank you to all of you. Thank you Toriel.” You look at the monster you’re addressing. Her expression softens ever so slightly. “Thank you Flowey.” The flowers yellow goes faintly red. “And thank you Papyrus.” The skeleton smirks.

 

“It was nothing for the great and terrible Papyrus.” The what now? You furrow your brows. Whatever. Guess big heads weren't just for humans. Not sure what to think of the ‘terrible’ part though. 

 

“Uh yeah, I would like the chance to thank your brothers too when I get a chance.” You offer. After all the flower did say skeleton  _ brothers _ .

 

You wonder what time it is. You’ve been down here a while. It seems like a long time. But there is no clock or sun to tell. So instead you pull out your phone. It’s just a little after seven. Wow. You must have been walking longer than you thought. You also have no signal. But the time would explain why you felt hungry. As if on cue, you hear a small growl of a stomach. But it doesn’t come from you. It comes from Frisk. 

 

“It looks like Frisk is hungry. I think we should be getting home so I can feed them.” You state, standing up. 

 

“___, can I make a request?” Asgore asks, setting his empty teacup down gently. You look over at him, immediately feeling your defences go up. He seemed more of the order type, so the chances of this being an actual request didn’t seem likely to you.

 

“Uh, sure?” 

 

“Won’t you and Frisk stay just one night? You will both have well taken care of rooms.” He glanced over in the direction of Toriel, who didn’t look in your or Frisks direction. She seemed tensed up. “It would also give us a chance to say goodbye. We shall miss having the little one around.” 

 

Studying his face, you are shocked by the fact that he seemed to be truly be leaving room for you to refuse. Despite the fact that he said Frisk was not here against their will, you expected a fight. But even so…

 

“I don’t think…” You try to think of a polite way to refuse. You could tell them you would visit. Hesitation filled you on that thought… but you might be willing. If Frisk wanted to. 

 

“You don’t seem to see very well in the dark. The sun has gone down.” Papyrus speaks up, finishing up his tea as well. “You also don’t seem to have a source of light other than that on your cell phone.” He looks you in the eye challengingly. “Are you confident enough that you can find your way home in the dark. With a child. Before an animal finds you?” Well shit. He had a point… god damn it. You look over at Frisk who is giving you puppy eyes. If it was just you, you probably would chance it. But with frisk…

 

“I want to share a room with Frisk.” You relent. After all, you didn’t have to work in the morning. It still didn’t set well with you that you didn’t get signal in this cave, though. Frisk is ecstatic that you’ve agreed, practically jumping in your lap to give you a hug.

 

“Very good.” The king seems to be very pleased with your answer to stay. “Papyrus can show you to a room. You can stay in the castle and return home in the morning. We shall come get you when dinner's done.” Frisk bounces off the chair, obviously very happy with your decision as well. They give Toriel a hug before running over to Papyrus and grabbing his hand, eager to get going. The skeleton looks mildly annoyed, but it seems more of a surface emotion that holds no weight. When he sees you looking, he gives a smirk. 

 

This sends a shock up your spine. That smug look. The bastard had won, and you had lost. That's exactly how he saw it. You don’t get time to huff and Papyrus gets up and heads out of the room with Frisk eagerly at his side. He seems to have slowed his pace plenty for Frisk. By the end of all this crazy either you were going to turn to religion or shun it. 

 

God damn. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who leave kudos or comment. It means a lot to me. More than likely it's going to be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for more updates, since that's my weekend. We'll see how the work week goes. Also, I've been very motivated this week. Usually not. So yay.


	5. Finding Something... Not So Surprising

He leads you down several hallways to a room. This walk with him is much easier than the one in the woods. At least he seemed to have a soft spot for Frisk. Otherwise you might just think he didn’t have one at all. The room is just like the rest of what you’ve seen. Very well decorated, but in a very light way. There isn’t much beyond the basics. Just well placed, and well colored. 

 

“Will you remember the way back, human?” You turn to answer him only to find that the one he is talking to isn’t even you. Frisk nods enthusiastically. He gives Frisk an affectionate pat on the head. “I will come get you when dinner's done.”  Before he closes the door he gives you another distrusting look.

 

For the first time since you’ve arrived, you’re alone with Frisk. The feeling is… odd. It’s been months since you’ve seen them and now here you were, alone with them under a mountain surrounded by monsters. Really things felt weird enough for you before. Always feeling like you were doing things… wrong. There are two beds in the room. Taking a deep breath, you sit on one of the beds you pat the space next to you. 

 

“You wanna come over and sit with me?” You ask. Frisk looks a little nervous but sits anyways. “Now, I’m really happy you’re okay.” You assure them. “I’m still also super upset that you wandered off like that for such a long time… but I’m more glad that you’re okay.” You open your arms to see if Frisk wanted to cuddle closer like you two would do when their parents were alive and you visited. This must sound nice to them as they scoot closer and lean on you. “I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to you. I promised I would take care of you. I love you Frisk. I know I do a lot of things wrong. Your mom would have done so much better. But please don’t scare me like that ever again.” You say, clutching them tightly.

 

_ “Sorry. I Promise I won’t.” _ They sign. You nuzzle their hair. 

 

“Good. Can you do me one more thing?” You ask. Frisk looks up at you and nods. “Can you tell me what happened? About falling down here and everything.” You reach in your pocket and get your cell, opening a note for them to type. “I’m still not very good at sign and want to make sure I understand what you’re telling me.” You hand them the phone and they begin to type away at a pretty impressive speed. 

 

It’s a couple minutes later when they hand the phone back so you can read what they have to say.

 

_ “I was playing outside. I know you told me to not go far. But there was a path. So I thought it would be okay. But then I found this path that was hard to see. I was excited and followed it.I tripped. When I woke up I was in a patch of yellow flowers. I met Flowey. Then I met goat mamma.”  _ They must mean Toriel. You giggle a little bit at the nick name.  _ “She took care of me for a while. She told me about the underground. When I left I met other monsters, like Papyrus and Sans. Sans is Papyrus's big brother.. We became friends. I met other monsters and became friends with them too. Eventually I met goat papa.”  _ Okay, that might be even funnier given the regal air the king seems to try and keep.  _ “He said he would help me find you again. And he did! He sent Papyrus out to patrol and I told him you would still be looking for me. Papyrus wasn’t sure that you would look for that long. But I knew you would. That’s what happened.”  _

 

You look down at Frisk. You didn’t realize that the kid had that much faith in you. 

 

“I’m sorry Frisk. I should have kept a better eye on you. You must have been so scared…” You murmur.

 

_ “It’s not your fault! I was wrong for running off like that. You always told me not to…”  _ They typed. You give a small smile before wrapping your arms around them and falling back on the bed. They give a little squeak as they are brought down with you.

 

“I guess we’re both sorry then. Lets just be glad you’re back.” Frisk nods in agreement and beams up at you. They didn’t seem tired in the least, which only made you think about how tired you were yourself.

 

You let Frisk keep your phone and play some games, signing something simple to you from time to time about cool things in the underground. They didn’t object to you throwing an arm over them as you fell asleep. As you were drifting off you swore you heard a voice you hadn’t heard in a long time. But you were too far gone to comprehend what it was.  

 

**********************************************************************************

 

Papyrus leaves the room and goes to where he knows the king is. This whole day has put him on edge. There wasn’t a moment of relaxation when there was an adult human wandering around. One moment would be all it took. He was well versed in the battle potential of humans. Most monsters were no match when one set their mind to it. An adult was much more dangerous than a child. A child he could manage if needed. Even if this one had long ago proved to be no harm. 

 

Just as he thought, the king had not moved from the tea table. Though the others had wandered off. Presumably to the dining hall. 

 

“King Asgore.” He calls the king well before he is in close range, as is dictated. One never snuck up behind a monster unless there was ill intent. One should never hold ill intent for their King. “I am still unsure of this human. They are an adult and very unpredictable.” Papyrus makes sure to stand in front of the King, as dictated. Asgore frowns. He knows it is not due to his speaking out of turn like before. When alone with the King, a monster was always more free to speak their mind than in front of a group. No- that questioned the King’s authority. No one questioned his authority. They trusted him. 

 

“I am unsure as well. But you know no better than I what the humans are like in this day and age. ____ will help show us what to expect. If they are friendly enough, then maybe there is a chance for peace at last.” The King was very old, despite his youthful appearance. But his eyes always gave him away. They were deep and heavy, there was always slight bags under them. Even on the best of days. Maybe in his younger days they had been bright and full of hope. But, like all monsters at some point in their lives, that hope had crumbled away. 

 

“Do you still believe it is possible with the humans? After everything that has happened?” Papyrus asks. Hope was a dangerous thing. He had it as a baby bones. But like all monsters, he had to abandon it as he grew and accepted things for what they were. A monster would always have to choose between hope and survival. This harsh world was all that he knew. If one wasn’t realistic in what to expect things easily turn deadly for that monster. 

 

“It is always possible.” Asgore states, standing. “Both sides have to want it though. The question is, will humans want peace?” That is the big question, isn’t it? After all, humans were the ones who started the war in the first place. Monsters back then… they were able to be happy without worry. Without the pressures that being placed underground forced them under. At least that’s what he was told. He had never known a time before the underground. It was simply before his time. But that made them soft. They didn’t have the ability to carry the kind of intent that humans carried in spades. But now that was different. Monsters were still far from cruel- but they would not be held at such a disadvantage again. It was a harsh lesson, but one that was not wasted on monster kind. The King doesn’t wait for a response as he walks away towards where dinner would be served. Papyrus does not follow him yet. He takes the time alone to think. 

 

He paces back and forth in the room. Staying still was something he was never very good at. It was made even more possible when he was filled with nervous energy.

 

He would always be loyal to the King. There was no question. He had made many tough decisions to protect monster kind and give them hope again. But part of him doubted the King's actions. No doubt there would be other monsters to do the same. Not every monster was as loyal as he. If things didn’t go well this time… it very well could be the end of Asgore’s time as King. Papyrus hoped the King knew what he was doing. 

 

For now all he could do was continue his duties and be supportive of his King. Just as Undyne was always doing. Thinking of her, he pulled out his cell phone and sent her an update on what was going on. She was always very insistent on these things. The last thing he wanted was to hear her gripe at him for any length of time. A reply came quick. 

 

***Undyne*      Be careful. Adult humans are a lot more deceiving than kids.** **Keep an eye on her.**

 

As if he didn’t already know that. He made sure that no monster would travel down the hallway the human's room was in and placed one of Alphys’ gadgets on the outside of the door frame to notify him if the human left the room. He wasn’t stupid and proceeded to tell Undyne that. 

 

Irritated, he headed to the human's room again to escort them to diner. 

 

**********************************************************************************

 

Getting up from your nap seemed impossible when Frisk began to shake you gently. The emotional exhaustion must have caught up to you. But even in sleep, you still clutched Frisk tightly. As if they might once again be snatched away.   
  
“Five more minutes.” You begged, only to be greeted by a voice that grated your ears and jolted you out of bed.

 

“The King is waiting for you, human! Being lazy is a terrible habit and as their guardian you must set a good example for Frisk!” Screamed a voice through the door that had to belong to the skeleton that brought you here. Suddenly you missed the whole tall, dark, and silent type thing he had going on. Growling, you got up out of bed and went to the door. Maybe it wasn’t your best decision, after all you were a guest. You wanted to keep it that way. But really, was that any way to wake anyone up?

 

“Excuse me?” You bark at the tall skeleton, jerking open the door. “Just where the fu-” You glance over at Frisk on the bed, who was looking up at you from their game. “ Uhhh fuge? Where do you get off calling me lazy? You know nothing about me you edgy halloween decoration!” Your arm thats not holding the door is waving about in a very expressive manner. “ I’ve been running off of four hours of sleep a night for almost a month. So excuse me if I get a little nap in when I’m finally able to relax!” 

 

He keeps his arms crossed and stares you down. He is definitely using his height to intimidate you. Or trying too anyways. Bad luck for him you were used to dealing with guys twice your size on the daily basis. The whole skeleton thing was wearing off in less time than it probably should have though. 

 

“Ha! Is that all? Here I thought adult humans would be impressive. Four hours is plenty of sleep!” He cackles at you, clearly mocking you. Oh. Oh that does it. Your sleepy and pissed of and you’re gonna fight a skeleton. This is gonna-

 

Before you can do anything pretty much suicidal, Frisk steps in between the two of you. They grab your hand and pull you out the door before you can even scold them on how rude interruption was.

 

Dinner was going pretty well. You weren't sure what it was, but the tension from earlier had lessened. Papyrus seemed to be the only one actively eyeballing you at least. Toriel still sent suspicious looks your way but they aren't full of malice like before. After you take your first bite, though, your eyes go wide. The food was wonderful! But the shocking thing was the fuzzy feeling it left in your mouth. It fizzes like soda before disappearing, leaving you feeling full of energy.

 

“Woah!” You take another bite and the process repeats again. “What is this stuff? It definitely isn’t normal food.” Toriel is the one to answer your question.

 

“That is because it is not normal for you.” She explained simply. “Monsters require a different kind of nourishment. So we require different kinds of food. But do not worry, items of human food have been added to the meal for both you and Frisks sake.” 

 

That explanation brings up so many questions. But all you can bring yourself to do is marvel at the food some more. The rest of the meal progresses in mostly silence. No one seems in the mood to talk at the moment. Trying to talk more seemed like you would be shattering glass, so you followed suit. This continues until Toriel speaks up again.

 

“I suppose I should ask, may I take Frisk to get ready for bed?” The question was much softer than her matter of fact tone from before. She almost looked like she was shifting in her seat. Was she actually uncomfortable? Well, she was asking to take the kid you were in charge of away from you for a bit after them being missing for months. So she should be a little uncomfortable. That is a lot to ask. When you don’t respond, she adds. “They are usually going to bed at this time and we usually read together beforehand.” You were hesitant to let Frisk out of your sight. Frisk was looking up at you with hope. But Toriel made no move as you thought about it. Really is she wanted the kid nothing was stopping her. You were the odd man out here and everyone had to be fully aware of that. Despite all of that, Toriel was truly asking for your permission. You find this just as odd as Asgore's request from earlier. But you were also just as thankful. 

 

“Oh yeah sure. As long as Frisk is okay with it, it’s okay with me.” You looked down at Frisk again who smiled and hopped off their seat to go with Toriel. The monster lady looked down at them with a gentle smile. Frisk grabbed Flowey as well, giving you a thumbs up before they left.

 

With the way all these monsters looked at and treated Frisk, you can’t bring yourself to feel worried. Something told you that they would take care of Frisk. Though you wondered, would you feel that way if Frisk was your biological child? The thought that you might treat Frisk like anything other than your child is what actually worried you. After all, you were supposed to be the replacement for the mother Frisk lost- weren’t you? You always tried your best to be a role model around Frisk, to show them new things, to nurture them the best ways you knew how. But whatever you did you always felt like you were lacking. You had considered never even being a mother before your aunt and uncle passed away. But taking in Frisk just seemed  _ right. _ Once the thought crossed your mind there was no other way.

 

Pulling you out of your thoughts was the skeleton sitting at the same table as you and Asgore. The skeleton that was currently stabbing metaphorical daggers in your side. Your annoyance finally got the better of you and you snapped.

 

“And will you at least  _ try  _ to  _ act  _ like you’re not glaring fucking holes through me!” You slammed your hands flat on the table and glared at him right back. Though the others had acted that way to start with, either they had loosened up or had the manners to start acting like they had. “You know, for being the one that convinced me to stay, you sure don’t know a whole hell of a lot about hospitality!” The skeleton just looked shell shocked for a moment before turning to anger. 

 

“I’ll have you know I’m the best host one could have aside from the King and Queen themselves!” He loudly declared, standing up abruptly so that he was towering over you. Oh, so he was gonna pull this card again huh? Good luck with that one. You went to work pretty much expecting that kind of thing on the daily spaces. Intimidation didn’t work as well on you as others wanted it to these days. Plus you didn’t get the feeling that he was going to do anything anyways. So you just laugh, crossing your arms.

 

“Ha! Coulda’ fooled me!” This time the King laughs instead of you. This surprised you and apparently the skeleton you were currently having a shouting match with as well. 

 

“Papyrus, I think it has been a long time since I’ve seen you this worked up. You’re starting to remind me of Undyne when she was younger.” With the King laughing at you both, the air seemed to deflate. You couldn’t help but see the comedy in the situation. You were in a yelling match with an edgy talking skeleton. Oh god, would anyone even believe you if you ever told them? It was something out of some dark fairy tale. But speaking of people believing you...

 

“Hey, so are you guys a secret I need to keep or?” You question, ignoring Papyrus as he takes his seat again with a huff. 

 

“Actually, that was something else I wished to talk to you about…” Asgore folded his hands in front of him.

 

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you want. It’s not like anyone would believe me anyways.” You assure him. Of course he would want to stay a secret. People kinda sucked. Hopefully they didn’t just end up keeping you here to make sure they stayed a secret.

 

“Oh no, it is not that. I’m afraid it is much more complicated than that. We… have not had the chance to see the surface for a long time, due to being trapped.” He looked over to you. “We do wish to see the surface. But are unsure the best route to do so. Humans are not very… accepting creatures. I do not wish to start a war for my people if it can be avoided.” 

 

Oh. That was it. That… was even worse. People did suck. Avoiding them was one thing. A lot easier, actually. But to try and be accepted by them… oh boy. You paid attention in history class. It often did not go well.

 

“Well, it’s like you said. Humans tend to be very unaccepting. It would be very hard.” You admit, fiddling with your own hands uncomfortably. 

 

“Even so, the fact that you and Frisk are still here tells of how much humans have changed from before.” Papyrus stays silent and watches the conversation.

 

“Well, to be honest. The reason I’m taking things so well is probably  _ because  _ of Frisk. Also, uh, how did you guys get trapped down here anyways?”  

 

“By humans.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter was a lot longer than I meant it to be. Though I don't really plan from chapter to chapter. 
> 
> Should I do more segments in other characters perspectives?


	6. Finding Yourself Feeling Overwhelmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get some information, meet a even ruder skeleton, and start to feel some panic set in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So those who were reading before- there are some major changes ahead. Warning. I'm liking the story a bit better now though.

The weight of those two words is very heavy to you. You stop fiddling with your hands and look Asgore in the eyes. 

 

“Wait- how did humans keep you down here? And if they did, why have me and Frisk here now? Shouldn’t you, I dunno, hate humans?” You ignore the huff that comes from Papyrus.

 

“Perhaps…” Asgore sets his paws down gently on the table together. “Hate does not come naturally to a monster. But it does happen. For a time I was like this. It was Frisk who helped me out of that dark place. While I admit I’m struggling even with you to try and think otherwise, the feeling is not as strong as it once was.” 

 

Oh. He  _ did  _ hate humans. To some degree at least. Yet he still helped to keep Frisk safe, and to unite them with you. You don’t ponder on this as he continues. 

 

“As for how, I’m rather surprised you don’t know. I would have thought humans would relish in the magic they managed in order to keep us trapped.” 

 

“Wait, what? Magic?” You ask in confusion. “That stuff is real? Humans can use it?” The King raises his eyes in surprise. 

 

“You do not know of magic? This is certainly strange. Tell me, do you know what humans say of monsters?” He says nothing about you questioning that humans can use magic. You take a mental note to ask again as soon as given a chance.

 

“Well…. nothing. Monsters are a thing of myth. Stories. Some even tell their kids stories of monsters to try and get them to behave.” You feel a little bad at how the King’s face drops. You could only imagine how it felt to be trapped and then forgotten. 

 

“I see…” He does not continue and looks as if lost in thought. 

 

“Actually, there is one thing… I wrote it off as a myth too. My aunt told me the stories when I was younger. About a race of monsters. Unlike most stories, these monsters were nice. Even if their appearance was sometimes… scary. They said the monsters were trapped somewhere but someday would return.” When you had been a kid, the stories sounded amazing to you. But as you got older the interest was lost. It was just a fairy tale after all. A very vague one at that. But your aunt had looked so disappointed when you told her this. You always blamed it on her being upset about you growing up. But now you weren’t so sure that’s what it was… “The older people of the area though, think the mountain is cursed. A lot of kids have disappeared over the years. It’s dangerous, with a lot of cliff edges. But some people blamed something supernatural. So pretty much everyone moved away from the mountain the first chance they got. Teenagers use the area as a test of courage type thing to show how brave they are or something.”  

 

“It is almost laughable. Our defeat and entrapment wasn’t enough for them. No, they must reduce even our memory to legend.” As the king speaks, even Papyrus looks more distant in thought. You shift uncomfortably. What is there to say to that?

 

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, it looks like humans apparent ability to use magic has been chalked up to myth as well.” You tried. This seems to draw the King out of himself a little at least. 

 

“Yes, it appears so.” Asgore agreed. “They must have felt no need for it after getting rid of the deemed threat. The humans feared us. They never reacted well when fearing something.” You wished you could say different. But you did pay attention in history class and he hit the nail on the head. The atmosphere gets thick. 

 

“But, hey!” You proclaim loudly, earning a suspicious glare from the ever silent Papyrus. “You’re not trapped anymore I take it? I mean grumpy pants here-” you gesture to Papyrus. “-managed to find me above ground after all.” 

 

“I’ll have you know-” Papyrus doesn’t get a chance to finish what he is saying because you talk over him. 

 

“That means there is always the chance for things to get better. Monsters are alive and free. That means a lot right? Not to mention, looks like you have at least two human friends on your side.” Asgore looks at you for a moment before cracking a small smile. 

 

“You are right. We have endured. There is hope for the future as long as we are still here.” He nods at you “Thank you for your kind words.” 

 

“Have you thought of what we shall do next?” Behind you is a feminine voice, turning out to belong to Toriel as she enters the room alone and sits in her spot away from the three of you. She moves with a certain elegance that’s hard for you to describe. 

 

“I am surprised to hear you take interest in these manners.” Asgore states. 

 

Toriel looks over at the King with a very unamused expression.

 

“I may have stepped down from my position, but I still hold an interest in my people. Moving forward now is a very delicate matter unless we want another war when meeting with humans once again.” The thought is spoken so well that it left no room for question of her intentions. 

 

“If I can ask, what position did you step down from?” You ask curiously. This answer doesn’t come out as smooth as the last. But she does send a menacing glare in Asgore's direction, who surprises you by looking sheepish. Since arriving, you had yet to see him look so… not in command. 

 

“I was once the Queen of the underground. I have since stepped down, but I do still have an interest in monster kinds future.” Oh, well that would do it. That probably meant they were married once, and if she stepped down from being Queen… ouch. Yeah ex’s were awkward. 

 

“Ah okay. That makes sense.” You move on. “After all, it affects you too. So uh, do I need to go for this kind of conversation or…?” A political move was the sort of thing to keep secret right? You were an outsider. 

 

“We would like you to be a part of this actually.” Asgore informs you. “You are the only human we can ask for advice on relations with your kind. After all, as mature as Frisk is… they are still only a child. Much has changed since we were last free.” You could see his point, but you still wondered. 

 

“I would be happy to help. But I’m no diplomat. I’m not good with words or anything. I actually stick my foot in my mouth a lot.” You ramble nervously.

 

“Why would you put your foot in your mouth? That makes no sense whatsoever.” Papyrus speaks up in an accusing tone. 

 

“See? It’s a figure of speech. But you all don’t know that kind of stuff. I should have known not to use one of those.” Toriel is the one to calm your rambling.

 

“No my child, we do not ask that of you. We simply ask for an advisor.” She folds her hands on the table. “Someone we can trust to tell us things room a human's point of view. To help with… culture shock. You do not even have to tell anyone of it. Simply have tea with us and talk with us. Be our… friend.” You think this over for a minute. 

 

If it was just you, then you wouldn’t see any reason to say no. Then again if it was just you then you wouldn’t be in this mess. Anyways, it wasn’t just you. There was Frisk to worry about… but they couldn’t take Frisk away from you without a real reason. After all making you the guardian of Frisk had been finalized not long after agreeing to take care of them. So that was in the clear, right? 

 

“I think I can do that. I just… I don’t want to be too risky.” You look at them both apologetically. Of course you wanted to help them full force. “I don’t want to risk losing Frisk. I am essentially for all legal purposes their parent now. But since Frisk isn’t actually  _ mine  _ I want to check out some of the laws before I pull out any stops.” All parties present seem to nod in understanding, making you feel more comfortable in your position on the subject.

 

“Of course. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to Frisk either.” Asgore agrees. “Much is different when you are in charge of a little one, is it not?” 

 

“Oh boy, is that the truth.” You agree enthusiastically. 

 

“You can sleep on it. But we will have to work on introducing ourselves to the humans soon with or without you. We can not keep ourselves a secret for long.” You nod in understanding. 

 

“I will make my decision quick.”

 

The conversation continues for a short while longer. Though now it’s mostly the King and ex-Queen talking. Papyrus interjects with an idea every once and awhile. He makes some very valid points. You just listen, trying to take things in for now. After all, they had no plans to do anything just yet. For now it was planning. 

 

Papyrus escorted the both of you to your room. Which you were thankful for, you didn’t remember the way. But you wouldn’t tell the skeleton that little detail. His rude demeanor never changed when it came to you. The cold shoulder with minimum talking. 

 

Frisk chooses to hold hands with Papyrus, which hurts a little? Papyrus was a new person, was he that important or was your bond with Frisk that unimportant? 

 

“Thank you.” You told him when you reached your door. He just gives a sharp nod in acknowledgment before heading back. Frisk waved with the hand that isn’t holding Flowey, who they insisted on bringing. He gets a place on the nightstand on Frisks side of the bed.

 

It takes a long time for sleep to find you. Even with Frisk finally back and in your arms. You may not be Frisks mother, but when they went missing, they took a part of your heart with them. It was good to have things back in their rightful place. Confusing add ons or not.

 

***************************

 

The next morning- if it was that because there were no windows- you find yourself rubbing the sleep out of your eyes and stumbling to the door to answer it. You couldn’t help but grumble in irritation at the knocking. You were halfway to the door before you even remembered in your conscious mind that the door you were answering wasn’t your bedroom door. 

 

“Waddya want?” You groan as you open the door. You had been expecting one of the monsters from last night to be knocking. Toriel maybe, she seems to be really attached to Frisk. But when you opened the door it was a new one. 

 

It was another skeleton. While much shorter than Papyrus, he was still a little taller than you. Not that your sleep foggy brain gave a single shit about any of that. 

 

“Now that's a case of bed head if I ever saw it.” His wide grin revealed something else about him- a tacky gold tooth. You usually try not to be judgemental but it was an internal struggle of yours. A golden tooth that didn’t leave a good impression combined with the first words out of his mouth being an insult?

 

Nope. 

 

You slam the door in his face. It’s too early for this shit and you want more sleep. How ever long you’d been in bed it wasn’t enough.

 

“Well that’s rude. You don’t make a lotta friends do ya?” The voice being behind you and  _ definitely  _ not behind a door scared the rest of your hazy mind awake. You were not proud of the sound you made when you jumped and turned to face the skeleton that was now in your borrowed room. 

 

Get your cool together woman! 

 

“What I would call rude is coming into a ladies room uninvited.” You retorted in annoyance, trying to put off an air of aloofness that you definitely didn’t feel. 

 

“Gotta do somethin’ when I get the door slammed in my face. I was sent to check on ya after all.” The skeleton shrugs. 

 

“Whatever. You checked- now get out before you wake up Frisk.” You cross your arms in annoyance. “We’ll be out as soon as they get up.” Frisk was usually late to rise, even without the wake up call you would have likely woken up before them. It was a lifesaver at first, when you still worked late night shifts until you could switch to a day shift. 

 

“Nah. I’m supposed to bring you both. I can wait though.” The skeleton lounged in the chair lazily, kicking his feet up and placing his hands behind his head. 

 

“Say, what is your name?” You ask him, trying to sound friendly.

 

“Sans, sweetcheeks. Sans the skeleton.” You gave as sweet a smile you could manage, though you knew it twitched at the nickname. 

 

“Well, Sans.” You reached over and pushed his feet off the chair and onto the ground. “Two things. One- I’m  _ not  _ sweetcheeks. I have a name and insist you use it.” Walking over to the door you opened it and gestured out. “Two- you can wait  _ outside.  _ I will get Frisk up and meet you out there.”  

 

The skeletons smug smile faltered for a moment before returning with raised eyebrows. Goddamnit. Now it was fun for him, wasn’t it?

 

“Well, sweetcheeks-” You can’t stop the nasty look you know flashes across your face. “I think I’ll wait in here.” He was daring you to try and make him. A physical altercation probably wasn’t the best in someone else's home. Plus could what little moves you knew work on a skeleton? Probably not best to test that out. Heck, no one even knows where you are. Getting a read on your phone through all this stone to find you despite the lack of signal didn’t seem likely either. You think for a minute before an idea hits you. 

 

“Wow, so this is how monsters treat guest? Or is it just you. I have to say, I hope Asgore doesn’t approve of this  _ rude _ behavior.” You coat on the overly fake concern in your voice and do your best disappointed tone. Turns out your hunch was right. There was a lot of respect for the King from his monsters. The look on Sans face said that King Asgore would not approve of the behavior at all. He squirmed under your barely veiled threat. You smirk at him. That's how you play the game. Just know who the head man is and you have something to work with. “Or… I dunno. I could just not tell him. If say, a certain skeleton waited outside.” You stare him in the eyes… or eye sockets? He doesn’t look happy but you win. 

 

“I didn’t wanna stay in here with your smelly ass anyways.” You’re about to roll your eyes when Sans is suddenly gone. He hadn’t even moved. You stared at the seat he was just occupying with sheer terror. Could all monsters do that? Was it a skeleton thing? Nothing was safe if someone could do  _ that _ . Maybe you were over reacting. But it just didn’t set right with you. All the confidence from winning with the rude skeleton drained from you and replaced with the undertone of panic. Just what had you got yourself into?

 

Hopefully this wasn’t a sign for how the day was going to be.


End file.
